A Fifth Major

It makes for reasonably decent conversation, but the subject of The Players Championship as a fifth major seems to spark very little passion. Sure, every year the papers write articles attempting to make the case, and obviously the Tour would love to gain the designation, but how? Who decrees it so? The writers? The players? No one really knows, nor seems to care enough to picket the event until someone calls it a major. And golfs married to history the way Ozzie was married to Harriet, which is to say, firmly so. People seem quite content with four majors. But clearly The Players on its own, major or not, is a premier event, with little lost to the other four.
 
Another talking point continues to be the historical treatment of Tiger winning four consecutive majors should he prevail at The Masters. Is it a Grand Slam? Most say no, that it must be done in a single calendar season. I agree, though its not a case I feel needs to be strenuously argued simply because four in a row, over two years or inside of one, cannot be diminished in any way.
 
As for The Players, Tiger obviously stands a good chance to avenge last years narrow defeat at the hands of Hal Sutton. The golf course has gotten progressively longer over the last several years, and where the premium has mostly been on accuracy, length has become an asset as well. The TPC at Sawgrass exposes any weakness a player has, and Tiger has fewer than anyone else.
 
Finally, baseball legend Ernie Banks loved to play two, as in the twin bill, and in a sense, fans get the double dip in golf this weekend. The ladies play their first major, the Nabisco, and if tradition holds, critics will suggest the LPGA move its dates so as to not conflict with The Players. I disagree. This is a golf lovers rite of spring, with championships of meaning and champions of excellent pedigree. Knee-deep in March madness, golf stages its own doubleheader. So lets play two.